The Big Picture: Jim Johnson Trade

Jim's ongoing value to the Orioles was in what he could produce for them this season in the way of off-setting the 10.8 million dollars that he was due to receive. The Orioles were never going to give a Qualifying Offer of 15 million to him after the 2014 season to allow for the possiblity of draft compensation. The team must have made attempts to sign Johnson to what it felt was a reasonable contract extension or one year contract and did not find that to be fruitful.

Many industry sources were surprised that the Orioles intended to keep Johnson and go to arbritration with him after his outstanding record in closer statistic since being installed as the Orioles primary closer during the spring of 2012. Dan Duquette had obviously been shopping Jim Johnson diligently as many baseball names had heard by the grapevine that he would be traded. He was.

What the Orioles received in compensation for the loss of their ground ball relient closer will be debated for the length of time that Jamille Weeks remains with the team and what level of compensation in the PTBNL is achieved. What can't be debated it that the Orioles traded a closer who would have earned 11 percent of their payroll for something that could be a value. What they relinquished was what they thought Jim Johnson might produce in on-field value for the 2014 season.